The invention relates to the routing of traffic in a telephone network, and in particular to the management of switching network systems for telephony and data transmission. It is equally applicable to fixed networks and mobile networks.
The invention is concerned with routing traffic through a network where a network operator has the choice between more than one carrier.
When a subscriber makes a call, the subscriber uses one operator, but the operator is free to route the call through other carriers"" networks. The operator will choose which other carrier to use based on the tariff charges, amount of traffic, time of day, destination, and so on.
This is particularly true in the case of international traffic where many operators are forced to make use of other carriers. These operators might not even own a network but lease part of another operator""s network. This function is known as International Simple Resale (ISR).
As the number of these operators has grown dramatically, the need to support day-to-day processes, by providing fast accurate information that helps them make quality decisions, has become relevant.
Operators currently providing this service manage their networks manually. They calculate the optimal routing tables for their exchanges and input the data by use of man machine language (MML). Due to the interconnect agreements between the operators it is often profitable to change the routing tables often, e.g. several times a day, and the changes have to be applied to each switching exchange on location.
Calculating the optimal traffic routes and applying the changes to the network therefore requires a large amount of resource. This is due to the complexity of the calculations, the amount of calculations and the fact that they have to input the new data on location. The calculations are complex because many dynamic parameters are involved. When manual processes are used, the number of dynamic parameters used is reduced, thereby simplifying the complexity of the calculation. This situation increases the risk for making mistakes.
Another problem is that when managing the routing tables manually, it is difficult to separate the destinations into small areas. For this reason, a whole country is usually defined as one area, and subscribers are charged the same amount of money no matter where in the country the call is destined. Operators might therefore prefer to divide their business area into smaller areas and charge subscribers in a more refined way, but then it becomes too demanding to solve manually.
The aim of the present invention is to provide a call routing management system which overcomes the disadvantages mentioned above.
According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a switched network for use in a telecommunications network comprising a plurality of networks, and in which said switched network has at least one switch for routing traffic to a required destination via another network according to a routing table, wherein said routing network has call routing data management means including: means for monitoring a plurality of parameters associated with the other networks in the telecommunications network; means for determining a routing table for each switch in said network based on the monitored parameters; and, means for controlling the switch or switches according to the determined routing table.
According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of routing calls in a switched network for use in a telecommunications network comprising a plurality of networks, in which said switched network has at least one switch for routing traffic to a required destination via another network according to a routing table, the method comprising the steps of: monitoring a plurality of parameters associated with the other networks in the telecommunications network; determining a routing table for each switch in said routing network based on the monitored parameters; and, controlling the switch or switches according to the determined routing table.